May 11, 2010

Outreach #13 (Teacher Appreciation/Food Box Delivery)

Last week I had two opportunities to reach out. First, it was Teacher Appreciation Week so I had originally decided that I was going to take some chocolates and a card over to Longfellow Elementary School (the elementary school that I attended as a kid) thanking the teachers for their hard work and dedication. As I was praying the day before I was to deliver the chocolates, I felt like the Lord was leading me to give the box of chocolates to some dear friends, Amy and Brian McInerny. Amy and Brian are in my small group at church and they are both teachers and incredible people with a heart for God! I delivered the chocolates to Amy and told her how much I appreciate her. I realized (through prayer) that outreach doesn’t always have to be to someone who you don’t know. Sometimes the people closest to us need to be reached out to the most. I want to make myself available for God to use at any time to reach out with his love to strangers, as well as to my dear friends.

The second part of my outreach last week was to deliver a box of food to a family in need. My church, Harvest Bible Chapel, is delivering boxes of food over the next three months to an apartment complex in Aurora. Most of the families living in this apartment complex are on welfare or are struggling financially. My husband Rick and I delivered a box of food on Saturday along with some flowers in honor of Mother’s Day.

When we knocked on the apartment door one of the girls (who looked to be in junior high) opened the door with a smile on her face. I told her we were there to deliver food and to drop off some flowers for her Mom. Her Mom yelled from the back hallway, “I would come out, but I don’t look decent.” We told her not to worry about it. We would be back in two weeks with another box of food. I also told her we left some flowers for her and HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! Her other daughter (who looked to be in high school) said thank you, and then we left. I am hoping that the next time we deliver food we will get a chance to sit down and talk with the Mom and her daughters.

I’m looking forward to reaching out again this week. There is nothing greater in this world than being used by God to touch people with HIS unconditional LOVE!